The New York Law Exam (NYLE) is an online exam on New York law that every New York bar exam applicant and every UBE transfer applicant must pass, after completing the online New York Law Course (NYLC).
The requirement for both components is set by 22 NYCRR 520.9, alongside the Uniform Bar Examination New York has used since July 2016 — an exam the New York State Board of Law Examiners runs.
What is the New York Law Exam?
The NYLE is one of two New York-specific components every exam and UBE-transfer applicant must clear on top of the Uniform Bar Examination.
New York has given the UBE since July 2016, and admission also requires completing the online New York Law Course (NYLC) and passing the online New York Law Exam (NYLE).
The NYLE is the piece that tests New York law: the regulation behind it, 22 NYCRR 520.9, describes it as an exam on New York law, and it applies to every applicant who sits the New York exam and every applicant who transfers a UBE score into the state — the transfer does not remove the New York components.
The New York State Board of Law Examiners is the body that runs the New York bar exam and certifies passing candidates for admission — and the body to confirm NYLC and NYLE details with.
Who has to take the NYLE?
Under 22 NYCRR 520.9, two groups must pass the NYLE: applicants who sit the New York bar exam and applicants who transfer a UBE score to New York.
For transfers, the score itself has to clear New York's threshold — the state accepts transferred UBE scores of 266 or higher, for three years from the date the applicant sat the exam.
The NYLE is not the only add-on: exam and transfer applicants also need a passing MPRE — New York requires a scaled score of 85.
The full list of requirements, from eligibility to fees, is on our New York bar admission page.
New York also admits experienced lawyers without exam through admission on motion, which requires practice in at least 5 of the 7 years before applying from a jurisdiction that would admit New York lawyers reciprocally.
Our sources state the NYLC and NYLE requirement for exam and UBE-transfer applicants; if you are pursuing admission on motion, confirm with the Board which requirements apply to your route.
New York's exam is changing in 2028 — confirm what applies to you
NYLE format: what the exam looks like
The format details New York's own sources confirm are limited: the NYLE is an online exam, and it covers New York law.
Applicants take it after completing the New York Law Course, so the sequence is NYLC first, NYLE second.
Timing matters as much as format.
The NYLC cannot be completed more than one year before the candidate first sits the UBE, so the course is tied to your exam window rather than something you clear years in advance.
Details like the number of questions, the time allowed and how often the exam is offered are not stated in the Board pages our research reviewed.
Check the current format details with the New York State Board of Law Examiners before you schedule anything around the NYLE.
What score do you need to pass the NYLE?
There is a number to know here, and it belongs to transfers, not the NYLE: New York accepts transferred UBE scores of 266 or higher, for three years from the date the applicant sat the exam.
That threshold governs transferred scores, not the NYLE itself.
For the NYLE itself, our research could not verify a passing score.
The regulation leaves the score to the Board, and the Board pages our research reviewed do not confirm the current number — so treat any figure you see quoted elsewhere as unconfirmed, and check it with the New York State Board of Law Examiners.
What the Board's materials do confirm is how long a passing result lasts: an NYLE score is valid for three years.
The New York Law Course (NYLC)
The NYLC is the online course that comes first.
Every applicant covered by the NYLE requirement — exam takers and UBE-transfer applicants alike — completes the course and then passes the NYLE; the rule is written so the exam follows the course.
The course carries its own timing rule: it cannot be completed more than one year before the candidate first sits the UBE.
Completing it early does not bank credit toward a distant exam date.
Together, the NYLC and NYLE sit alongside the rest of what New York requires — the UBE score, the MPRE, character and fitness, and the state's other admission conditions.
Requirements change, and this page describes them as our sources state them.
Confirm the current NYLC and NYLE rules with the New York State Board of Law Examiners before you rely on them.
Career information, not legal advice.